After the pandemic started in 2020, many people were without jobs, isolated from their families, and access to healthcare was restricted. All of these factors can resulted negative effects on mental health. According to the National Institutes of Health HEAL Initiative (2021), mental illness is often undiagnosed and is shown to increase the risk for Opioid Use Disorder. 

In 2022, Duplin County was allocated $2,465,617, with distributions spanning over 18 years moving forward. Duplin County chose two programs as mitigation strategies to help fight increasing numbers, which were the Community Naloxone Distribution and the Syringe Service Program.

Whats helping:

• -Increased awareness of opioid epidemic 
• -Opioid Settlement funding 
• -Easier access to Naloxone kits 
• -Availability of mental health resources such as virtual telepsych 
• -Provider awareness throughout the county of resources to refer patients if needed

What's hurting:

• -Stigma for receiving treatment or seeking help
• -Increased cost of medical care and qualification for insurance
• -Isolation and unemployment due to COVID19 restrictions after pandemic in 2020
• -Increase import of unknown, fatal substances that are being sold without repercussions

• ​​​​​​Duplin Health Coalition
• Duplin County Health Department
• Local Law Enforcement
• ECU Health Systems
• Duplin County Emergency Management

• Find more resources to make available to patients
• Increased awareness of Naloxone distribution through advertisement 
• More Syringe Service Program advertisement

• Continue to use settlement funding to increase outreach through Syringe Service Program and Naloxone distribution
• Educate community on importance of programs and how to become more involved
• Educate community on the stigma around drug use and overdoses to improve understanding and decrease hesitancy of Naloxone use